NC State Football
WATCH: Grayson McCall Speaks to the Media After Announcing Retirement (with transcript)
Published
19 hours agoon
Last week, NC State Redshirt Senior Quarterback Grayson McCall announced his retirement from playing the game of football last week, after suffering another significant concussion. He met with the media yesterday to discuss this difficult decision. You can watch the video ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.
Last week you put out the release. How difficult was it to come to terms with that, first of all?
Yeah, I mean, it was extremely difficult. But I mean, at the end of the day, it was something I knew was a possibility.
After everything that happened last year, and then kind of getting re-injured in the LA Tech game. Going into it from that point forward, kind of knew it was a possibility if I didn’t stay healthy, and specifically to another head injury, I knew it was a possibility. But to actually have the conversations, and have to kind of put it into words, and things like that, it was tough.
I knew one day the cleats were going to come off, and the helmet was going to come off. But for it to happen like that, and the way it did, it was just really heartbreaking for me. But luckily for me, I got a lot of great people in my corner that have kind of helped me through this.
So just kind of going through the transition, excited for what’s next.
Have you really educated yourself on concussions? I mean, the potential possible CTE, all the things that can happen with concussions, have you looked into that?
Yeah, absolutely, I think, like I said, when it happened last year, and obviously it was a pretty bad concussion. And it was really eye-opening for me.
And so just kind of taking it as an educational opportunity to learn, and continuing to learn as I’m going throughout this process. But at the end of the day, I wanna have a full life. I want to get married and have kids one day, and I want to be a football coach, and I want to be a great dad one day.
So without a healthy brain, none of those things are possible. So I love the game so much, but it’s come down to things bigger than that.
Were you diagnosed with one after LA Tech, and how many did you have in your career?
Yeah, I think the one last year, I think was four.
So looking at six or seven total, and I think every doctor kind of has their own opinion, but once you get kind of the four to five range, anything after that really isn’t good. I think what I’ve learned from this last one is that the more you continue to get, the chances of a full recovery decrease. So yeah, I think it’s been six now.
I know, obviously, there’s a transition period that you have to have. But with time being a factor, and you wanted to be a coach, how quickly do you have to kind of make that transition to getting into the mindset of learning and trying to learn everything you can from this staff? And having that experience to be able to prepare yourself for a future to be a, whether it’s a high school coach, a college coach, whatever you wanna be.
Yeah, I think it’s rather a quick transition. I think I’m obviously blessed to have a coach like Coach Doeren, and Coach Roper, and his staff here that are kind of letting me get my feet wet now. And kind of serving that role now, and helping CJ (Bailey), and helping the other guys.
And sitting through coaches meetings and things like that just to get my feet wet and see how I like it. And so I’m obviously blessed with the opportunity to be able to do that here, and kind of get things started. So I’m excited to see where it goes.
A follow up, what do you envision then as, I know obviously this is all happening very quickly. But have you thought about about what the game plan is in a way?
I’d like to start on the college level if possible. Obviously played for three different staffs, and have a lot of connections throughout the country involved with college football. So hopefully I get the opportunity, and I can make the best of it.
And we’ll go from there.
You’ve talked about your future, and what you want that to look like. But that doesn’t make the decision any easier. What kind of emotions were you feeling as you were having those conversations?
I think the one positive I can take to this thing is I don’t have any regret. Throughout my whole college career, I’ve laid it on the line every single game, every single play. Obviously for the guys beside me, but just the love that I have for the game.
I think that’s one positive I can take from it, that I don’t have any regrets. Other than that, just kind of a whirlwind of emotions, obviously. Upset and sad and going through all that.
But kind of just disappointed with how my time went here. Obviously, didn’t play to the best of my ability, and that kind of hurts. But I think at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason.
And I believe that even going through this time when that’s hard to believe and see through, but at the end of the day, I am happy that I don’t have any regrets as hard as all this is. And I know I’ll get through it, and there’s a brighter side at the end of this. But just kind of going through all those emotions still right now.
How important has it been to have the space from the coaching staff and from the university to, in such a quick transition, be able to make the space for you to make that decision and then kind of help you along and get started in your career?
Yeah, it’s special. I think it just kind of complements the type of people we have in the building here, and I’m aware that it’s not like that everywhere. So for them to keep me around and give me the ability to sit in on different things and kind of voice my opinion and help out, I mean, it’s really important to me and I’m really grateful for it.
So obviously really thankful for just the opportunity to come here and be the quarterback. And now just the opportunity that they’re giving me to kind of start my coaching career and see where it goes.
Coach, mentioned that you, with the timing of everything, having the off week, having a chance to be with family, it sounded like. How big was that just for, I imagine, the roller coaster the past couple weeks?
Yeah, I mean, it was huge. I mean, obviously, I’m kind of going through this, but there’s a lot of people that are also going through this. Obviously, this journey that I’ve had for so long now has been really special to my family.
And kind of taking us places we never thought we’d go and kind of done things like that. So as hard as it is for me, it was really helpful to go home and just be around family, be around loved ones. And just kind of have a reality check that there’s so much more to life than football.
And being around it kind of 365 days a year for the past 20 years now. It’s going to be a hard adjustment, but being around those people that love me and care about me, it’s special. So I’m grateful that they let me go home to be around family for a week.
But refreshing, I’m glad to be back and help the team get another win this week.
Football is a naturally violent sport. Do you feel like there should be changes based on your experiences, whether it’s players should wear guardian caps or something needs to be changed about this?
I don’t know, man.
I think there needs to be kind of a more distinct targeting rule and things like that. But I mean, we signed up for it, right? Every time you put the helmet on, you go out there and play, there’s a chance you can get hurt. And I think that’s what makes this sport so special.
It’s a violent sport, it’s a tough sport. And if you’re not tough, you can’t play it. So it all starts with a mindset, and I’ve always had that mindset.
And whenever the mindset wavers that you’re scared to get hurt or you’re hesitating out there, it all goes bad. So I think this is a game that we signed up to play. And if you’re not tough, it’s not for you, so.
How much does being in this role now help you kind of make this transition from not playing, to being around the team, to being as a captain?
Yeah, I mean, it definitely helps. It’s what I love to do. It’s something I’ve always done.
And obviously, my role is changing as I’m not on the field. But being the same leader for the teammates, being the quarterback in the room that’s played a lot of games and played a lot of snaps, and can kind of help those guys through it. So I think my leadership role in that space doesn’t change, but it’s just kind of difficult for me to make the transition.
I mean, it all happens so fast. Being out there at practice, I just want to pick the ball up and run around and throw it, so I’m still fighting that. But I’ll get through it, but it’ll just come with time.
Does it help at all that this was so open? People saw your family come down in the field. They know the hit. They’ve seen the replay. Did that help or did it complicate it? Because everyone understands what you went through.
Yeah, I mean, maybe so. I don’t know if it makes it easier, but I think there’s a better understanding that guys were able to see what I went through last year and for it to kind of all happen again.
I mean, it felt like just a big deja vu moment for me. But I mean, I wouldn’t say it makes it any easier. I think it just, people have a better understanding of why I’m making this decision and how scary it was.
I mean, it was really scary for me, but all my teammates and everybody that was right there and saw it happen, it was pretty scary for them. So I mean, for guys to see that happen and to have the courage to strap it back up and go out there to the next play, I mean, it says a lot about the game. It says a lot about the guys we have here.
So yeah, I’ll just kind of leave it at that. I don’t think it made it any easier, but I do think it allowed people to have a better understanding of what happened.
Can you walk us through that process from October 5th when you go to the hospital to when you have to make that decision, or at least make it public? What were those conversations like? When did you have them? When did you sort of make that decision?
Yeah, like I said earlier, I was fully aware of that being a possibility.
When everything happened, and I kind of knew, whenever I woke up in the ambulance and they took me to the hospital, I’d open my eyes and my mom was right beside me and we kind of just both looked at each other at the same time and said, ‘That’s it.’ As much as I love this game and everything it’s done for me, I can’t put myself through that again, I just can’t mentally. And like I talked about my health earlier and my family and all the things I want to do in the future, it’s not worth it at the end of the day. So whenever I woke up and came to the conclusion that was probably it, you just kind of had to build the courage to have those conversations and ultimately write something up and make it public.
But I mean, I kind of knew that it was a reality that could happen.
We’ve heard from Coach Doeren, even all season really, that this guy’s gonna make a great coach when his playing days are over. Even with the way it happened, playing career is over a little bit sooner, what does it mean to have that vote of confidence from him, that you have a bright future in football, even as a coach as well?
Yeah, it’s special.
I really appreciate Coach Doeren and all he’s done for me here. And to have such a prestigious coach like that say positive words like that for me going into a new role is special. But I think if you just watch how I play the game and the passion I have, and the want to help people, I think you can make those assumptions.
But yeah, it means a lot, and I’m obviously really thankful for Coach Doeren.
Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.
NC State Football
WATCH: Isaiah Crowell Talks Making the Most of His Opportunity (with transcript)
Published
18 hours agoon
October 30, 2024Redshirt Sophomore Nickel Isaiah Crowell started his first college game in the Wolfpack’s last game against California. He met with the media after practice yesterday leading up to NC State’s game against Stanford this weekend. You can watch the video ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.
What was it like having your first career start at Cal last weekend?
It was a dream come true, man. Just staying, trusting the process, staying ready, like my pops always tell me. It’s a dream come true, but I mean, I can’t do it without trusting God, faith, so that was a big part.
You had a fumble recovery as well. What’s going through your mind when you see the ball on the ground?
Be a football player. I’ve been doing this since I was six years old, so it was kind of natural to me.
Trust my techniques that my coaches gave me, and yeah, be a football player.
Have you ever played with any kind of guardian cap on?
No, sir. No, it’s just me playing football.
Do you know, have you ever talked to someone who has one that can explain how it maybe would impact your playing, whether it’s the feel, comfortability, or just maybe it feels like extra weight on you?
No, I don’t know.
How did you grade out of Cal, and where’s the growth potential for you in the next four games?
I graded out pretty good. I think we’ve had a lot of growth this season.
As you can see, Tamarcus (Cooley) is playing as well, the number one. And we’re both young guys, so I think we’ve been presented with a lot of growth opportunities to play in real games, and yeah, can’t wait for the future as well.
With the opportunity there, how much do you feel like your play at Cal helped you to be a bigger part of that rotation as well?
I think it just showed the coaches that I can play the game.
Me being thrown into the fire late in the game, and being started in the first half of the Cal game just to show the coaches that I can be trusted, I can play, so yeah.
How much confidence did you get from when Tamarcus went out and you got to play at the end of that game?
It was a huge confidence builder, huge confidence builder.
I know you all take it game by game, week by week, but how big was it to get that win at Cal in terms of the momentum it could give you for the rest of the season?
It was huge, man. It was like a monkey off our back, it was big.
Why is that?
Just so you know, we’re not used to losing like that here, so just to have that win and just break that little losing streak we had, it was big, man, it was big.
You guys came into the year with such high expectations after going into the bye. Has Coach Doeren kind of level set or changed those expectations? How has he sort of modified what you guys are going after at this point?
He stayed the same throughout the whole time. He stayed even-keeled. He didn’t change, Coach Doeren’s been the same guy no matter what kind of circumstances or adversity he’s been hit with.
We all stayed the same, stayed true to what our program has and our values we have in the program. Keeping us motivated, keeping us grounded, and all those things.
How much different was this year’s bye week compared to last year, coming out with a win instead of a loss?
It’s not really that much different at all. We’ve both been going to work every single year, man, just going to work. Nothing, no drop-offs, not taking any days off, no reps off, just still coming every day to work, so.
How have your older brothers and your dad kind of put things in perspective for you and keep you working hard? What role have they played?
Yeah, they’ve played a huge role.
Having a father that played in the league and having two older brothers that’s played college ball as well. They’ve given me a different perspective. A lot of times, everything’s not gonna look good, look sunny.
But they just gave me perspective and given me things and nuggets to have as my career goes on, honestly.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve taken from them?
Just trusting the process, trusting the process and staying ready. You never know when your number’s gonna be called.
So when your number is called, you just gotta stay ready to be ready to attack the opportunity, so.
That helped this year?
Yes, sir, yes, sir.
How is Micah doing?
He’s doing good.
Now he’s getting his degree, he’s going to seminary school, he wants to go into ministry. So yeah, he’s doing great.
How much did work on special teams help you as well, and how do you prepare for your time on the field?
Yes, sir, it definitely helped.
Just getting used to the game speed, and yeah, it helped a lot.
What are you seeing from Stanford as you prepare for them this weekend?
I see that they’re a good team, but we gotta play like we always do.
I mean, they got a good receiver, number 13, I think it’s been a pretty good year. But we’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing, preparing for any moment we get in, getting ready to play on Saturday.
Given the fact that their quarterback is a true dual threat, somebody that will run the football constantly, how much priority are you guys putting on that this week, to make sure that you limit what he’s able to do with his legs?
Just trust our keys, play to our rules, and not beat, and not do too much.
Just trust our players, just trust the guys around us, and play hard, so yeah.
What do you like about playing at Nickel?
I like the different things we can do, blitzing, playing the coverage, playing the zone, just a lot of things we can do to play my strengths in my game. So yeah, I love it.
What’s the hardest part about playing inside like that versus on the outside?
I’ll say just taking on the bigger bodies, me being not the biggest person, just taking on blocks. But I mean, for me, I like contact, so it’s not really a huge thing for me.
How much do you relish that challenge as a smaller guy to go up against bigger guys and show what you can do?
Sure, for me, I feel like I’m an animal on the field, so I don’t care how big you are, I’m gonna play the same, I’m not going to change the way I play, I’m not going to change my speed and everything, so, that’s it.
So are we gonna see you taking down an O-lineman like Amare Campbell did for Carolina last week?
Yeah, yes, you may, you may, you may, you may, don’t be surprised if you do.
NC State Football
WATCH: NC State’s CJ Bailey Talks About Growth & Grayson McCall’s Impact (with transcript)
Published
19 hours agoon
October 30, 2024NC State True Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey met with the media yesterday after practice. He discussed his growth, the bye week, and the impact of Grayson McCall. You can watch the video ABOVE, and read the transcript below.
Is it pretty weird? You’re gonna have to start calling Grayson, Coach Grayson or something?
Yeah, I just asked him the other day if I was to play for you, would I call you Grayson or Coach? He said call him OG.
How big of a help has he been your whole time here?
Yeah, he’s been a great help. He’s been a great leader. I just try to mimic everything he’s doing. I’m just gonna watch him and observe him.
And he’s been in my ear and helping me out. And it’s really big that he came to all those games that he came to, because he helped out a lot.
He’s always been there for me.
What are those conversations like on the bench with him in a game, just when you come back from being out there?
Yeah, it’s never a tense conversation. We’re always excited with each other, always.
Even when things are not going as well, we always try to help each other out, help hype each other up, always hype me up. So it’s never a tense conversation. We always help each other.
As someone who’s, I imagine, has gotten really close to Grayson over the past few months, how difficult has it been just to watch what these past few weeks have been like for him?
Yeah, it’s really tough. Grayson had to work through that. It’s like, some people don’t know how hard that is.
In your career, in your last year, and coming to the games. Even though he ended his career, he ended it after Wake Forest, he’s still coming to the games, and still coming to practice. He’s coming to our meetings in the morning and still helping with the game plan, helping us out and everything.
So it’s really tough on him, and God’s willing to help him go wherever he wanna go in that time of life.
Obviously, you’re a true freshman, but how much did that put things into perspective for you as well?
Yeah, I’m a true freshman, but I don’t even want to call myself that no more because of Grayson. I feel like I’ve just been better because of him.
I just feel like I’m growing out of my title as a freshman because of him.
He talked about the fearlessness you need to play this sport and how you have to put everything aside. Obviously, that was a scary situation against Wake. As a team, how do you just put that aside and go out there and play fearless kind of football?
Yeah, it’s not easy, but we did it. We just had to say, ‘Let’s go play for him, instead of just harping on it and being sad over it. We just said, ‘Let’s go play for him and do it for Grayson.’
You’ve been able to watch Grayson study film, go through those meetings, practice, and play. What do you admire about him as a quarterback?
He never came in with a lousy energy, never came in tired, never came in sad, never came in confused. He always knew what he had to do.
He always had a plan of what he was going to do. He always was upbeat, energized, and was the loudest one in the building to keep everyone going as well as he was going.
What qualities about him do you think could make a good coach someday? What have you seen?
His voice, he has a good voice.
He always knew what to say in the right moments. He never has a blank mind. He’s really smart.
He’s a really good, smart guy.
You’ve thrown for 300 yards now in the last two games. How much progress do you think you’ve made from the time you had to first go out there to where you are right now?
Yeah, I’ve made a lot of progress since the first game. I feel like I’ve grown a lot. I’ve gotten better every week. I’m throwing for 300 yards, that’s fine, I just want to get the wins.
As far as the bye week is concerned, how much do you feel like you’ve been able to kind of reset but also grow from what you’ve been able to look back on now?
I’ve been resetting mentally and physically. So I just took that bye week as a time to take football off.
And now we just came back, locked back in on an assignment again this weekend. It’s helped a lot, that bye weekend. I feel like we will come out this weekend with some fire in our eyes.
Who was the coach when you were in either middle school or high school that made you believe you could be a good quarterback?
It started when I was little, when I was a kid, about 10, 11 years old. It was Coach Rod Mack, he played for the Hurricanes. But he was a real inspiring guy.
He always made sure that I knew that I could do it. Even though sometimes I thought I couldn’t, he was one of those guys that let me know that I can do it.
Having seen what Grayson’s gone through, do you plan on changing anything about your game or maybe wearing a guardian cap or something just to give yourself a better chance of protection?
Not really, I just think about playing smarter, getting down and getting out of bounds and stuff.
Don’t take as many hits. But anyway, I’m just playing fearless and still playing in my game. I don’t need no rib protector, I don’t need all of that.
Sometimes it’s good to wear it, but sometimes I feel like I don’t need it.
Can you explain why you wouldn’t, to a normal viewer or someone who doesn’t play football?
I’m just not used to that. My whole life, I rarely, I probably didn’t wear a rib protector until probably this year, but I always played fearless.
I always liked taking hits, it’s just not a problem with it. But that moment kind of shocked me a little. I need to have an awareness to get down and get out.
You’ve had a lot of high leverage throws recently where it just feels like it’s, I don’t want to say risky, but there’s big play potential with those throws. As a true freshman, it feels like you have to have a lot of confidence to be able to try and take those risks.
Yeah, that’s like I said, as each week goes on, I’ve gained a lot of confidence, and I gained a lot of trust in my guys, and I know they are going to make those plays, and I trust myself, and deliver a ball where they can catch it, because if I put it anywhere in that vicinity, they’re going to make a play for me.
NC State Football
WATCH: Dave Doeren’s Weekly Press Conference Before NC State Hosts Stanford (with transcript)
Published
2 days agoon
October 29, 2024NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren met with the media for his weekly press conference yesterday before the Wolfpack host Stanford on Saturday. You can watch the videos BELOW, and read the transcript UNDERNEATH.
All right. Just going back to our game with Cal.
It was a really good game and a heck of a comeback by our guys. To go eight straight games and finish that run with a long road trip, a long flight, bus ride, all those things, coast to coast, and to come back after two tough, one possession losses, it says a lot about the fight in the staff and this team. Proud of the guys for being resilient, and we are getting better and improving, and you can see that in a lot of areas.
Really proud of the guys and the staff for just showing and showcasing our perseverance, our toughness, and our togetherness. I think Cal’s a good football team. If they had a kicker, they’d probably won three more games.
They have really good defense. They lead the conference in turnover margin and scoring defense, so to win this game on the road was a heck of a game, and the passion and will to win of our players in the fourth quarter was really a beautiful thing to see. And some guys stepped up in that quarter, and it’s really cool when you see a captain and some of your older players make some critical plays to help you win a game.
I saw that with Davin Vann taking his pass rush to another level. The two sacks in the fourth quarter. Bishop Fitzgerald, Senior Safety, making some key plays, some pass breakups on critical downs. Can’t say enough about CJ Bailey and his improvement, how he’s grown not just as a player, but as a leader, finding chemistry with his guys.
You see it with different players and growth with him and Justin Joly and KC (Concepcion), Noah (Rogers), Dacari (Collins), giving guys chances to make plays down the field with balls that the defense can’t make plays on, and Wesley Grimes made a really nice play. Keenan (Jackson) and Terrell (Anderson) continue to improve. And then, obviously, Hollywood Smothers has been explosive for us, catching the football and running after the catch.
But you just see CJ’s confidence growing. And I like how he’s giving his guys a chance to make plays. He’s protecting the ball better.
And we played complimentary football in that fourth quarter, and we’ve played really well in the fourth quarter this year, with the exception of the end of the Wake game. I think our guys have really done a good job. And now, obviously, from an improvement standpoint, something we need to do better at the beginning of games.
But I think the bye week came at a good time. We were able to get some needed rest, get healthier for this four-game span that we have in November and dive into ourselves from a critical standpoint and self-scout, with tendencies, breaking down schemes, looking at players and what they’re doing well, what they’re not doing well, communicating those things in a productive way to our guys and looking at things we can do better, things that we need to spend more time on, things that we need to improve, tendencies and how we can break them, is a good blend of recovery time for the guys physically so that they could get fresh, but also reset mentally and then getting on the field and in the film room so they can grow and putting together a plan for them to do so, not just in fundamentals, but with scheme for us as coaches. In that game, I thought the conversion downs were the difference.
We won the third-down battle, fourth-down battle. On both sides of the football, we were able to stay on the field in a lot of cases on third down offensively and get off the field. We were two for two on fourth down.
They were 0 for 2 on fourth down and some critical downs. And red zone football, same thing. We were able to hold them to field goals and we were able to get some touchdowns and make our kicks inside the red zone.
And so some improvements, some momentum going into a bye, which is great for the football team. And now we move on to this four-game stretch, starting with Stanford, a home game, excited to be back home for the next two games, the last two home games for us. And our crowd was amazing at the last home game.
And we’d love to have you here in full force for these next two final games of the year and bring that energy and help us in our efforts to finish strong. You guys are a factor at home. And this needs to be, these next two games need to have that.
Gives us the best opportunity to finish strong in a very critical month of the season.
Stanford’s a tough team. Physically, when you watch the film, they play really hard.
They’ve had three different quarterbacks and they’re all athletic guys that can run around. Very impressed with their receiver, #13. He’s one of the better receivers that we’ve played in our conference.
On the defensive side, they have three defensive ends that are very identical in build. When you look at 23, 11 and 44, they’re long, athletic edge players. They scored two defensive touchdowns in their Wake Forest game.
They present a lot of different things, a lot of zone coverage, but two different fronts, even and odd and some pressures. They do a nice job mixing it up up front and adding different guys in for a fourth, a fifth, sixth rusher. But really focusing on how we can get better and continue to grow with the young guys that we’re playing with, particularly on offense, and getting some healthier guys back in the fold and Brandon Cisse, you know, practiced for us this week so far and looks like he’s ready to return, which is great for our secondary.
And just finding those little things, the turnover margin and finishing critical plays. And every football game comes down to four or five plays and you just don’t know when they’re going to happen and pushing these guys to make those plays in practice, just playing fast and physical and together. As I said, November is a really critical month in college football for all programs.
You’re putting yourself in a position to have postseason play or not. And I love to finish, and I know our players do, and look forward to the opportunity to do so here these next four games.
If they would have had a game after traveling back from Cal
We played the 12:30 game in California, as you know. And with that being said, still didn’t get back to Raleigh till almost 4 a.m. And so it would have been hard to have anything on a Sunday with the guys.
It was 4 a.m. Sunday when we landed, so guys aren’t in bed until 4.30 in the morning. So it would have changed our weekly routine.
Obviously, there would have been a sleep deficit that you’d be concerned with. Five and a half to six hours of sitting on a plane after playing a football game, coaching a football game, you could feel it in your legs. And for these guys, I think this is their fourth time going to the East Coast for Stanford.
And so it’s a lot. Travel is real. You can feel it.
And for us, going out there on a Thursday made a difference. I can tell you that. Changing our routine from a travel standpoint. But I am thankful we have a bye on the back end of this, particularly with it being our 8th straight game.
It would have been really hard playing nine in a row coming off of that one.
Grayson McCall announced his medical retirement last week. Just how did those conversations go when he talked to you about that?
I asked him how he wanted to go about the next stage, and he needed time.
And I said, ‘You do whatever you need to do. We’re here to support you.’ And that’s really it.
I’m like, ‘When you’re ready to announce the next steps, let’s have a conversation.’ And we knew where this thing was going. I wanted him to do it his way.
He’s earned every opportunity in this sport. He’s a great teammate. He’s a tremendous young guy to coach.
And he’s got a bright future as a coach if that’s what he chooses to do. But as a leader, for sure. And it was pretty simple.
You know, ‘Hey, do what you need. What do you need from us? How can we help in the process?’ And speaking with him and his family, ‘When do you need time?’ And he needed time with his family during the bye week, which we totally got. And I was happy for him that he was able to do it his way.
I know that was a tough week, as it is for any player. When it ends without it being your choice, when basically God is telling you it’s time to stop. And he is a spiritual young man.
And so being able to lean into his path that way and trust in the Lord, I think, was a big part of this for him.
When did he tell you? Was it way ahead of time? Did you know for a while? And then did he address the team at all? How did he let his teammates know?
No, I mean, I think he’s done it all in his own time. We kind of knew after the game.
I mean, if he had another one, that was probably it, and it was pretty quick. It was more a matter of the steps he wanted to take and when he was ready to make it a public thing. And it’s a big step to make that announcement and have to say those words, even though you know that it’s probably happening, to say those words out loud and to do it the way that he did.
I thought it was really well done. There’s a lot of things, as you can imagine, being talked about before they become public.
You just mentioned how much you love to finish and you all were able to do that last season after your bye and hit the reset. I’m just wondering how crucial this year’s bye was, considering now you all know this is CJ’s team and being able to get the guys refocused, but also maybe understanding what he’s been able to do well so far to put you in position to finish the way that you want.
It’s similar and it’s not from last year. Last year, we were coming off of a pretty embarrassing loss to Duke.
And so the bye week was really a recalibration of a lot of things. We were going through the quarterback thing, as you know, which we don’t need to rehash. And the team did a great job buying into the changes we needed to make.
And we put our best foot forward and caught some momentum and beat Clemson, beat Miami, got on a roll there behind the different things we were doing. And this year, it’s more coming out of a win with back-to-back 300-yard games for a young quarterback, and he’s gaining confidence and momentum and timing. And so it’s building on that and looking at the things that we’ve done with him, areas that he’s having success, areas where he’s not, and not just him, the guys around him.
How can we take advantage of the things we’re doing well and what tendencies are on there that we need to fix? And then fundamentally, what can we do to help in protection? What can we do to help in the run game? But there’s a lot more momentum going into this year’s bye week than there was last year coming out of the game we had with Duke. And so that piece is different. I think you’re hoping for the same results, which is a better football team coming out of the break.
And we’re definitely in a better place health-wise. And that was critical because we were, it was slim. It was really slim at one point during that game.
I mean, there was some, not just fatigue, but there were some pretty sore guys playing. And so they needed a break.
What did you learn the most about this team after watching back the film and being able to take a week and spend on your own team this past week?
Well, without giving away things, because we have to play a game, there’s a lot of things you learn. The big-picture things, we need to play better early in the game. We are a really good fourth-quarter team when you look at it statistically, and we’re not a really good first-quarter team.
Being able to start the game better is something that sticks out statistically. When we take care of the football and do a good job on defense, getting it back, I mean, we’re undefeated since 2020 when we win the turnover margin. And if you look at the games we’ve lost this year, it’s a problem in those games.
And so those two factors are really paramount in our improvement. I think special teams-wise it’s been a weird year. It’s just been a lot of kicks in the end zone.
Our kickoff return hasn’t had a lot of opportunities. Our kickoff teams only had one kick back. When you look at what you need to get better at, our punt coverage at times. Caden’s (Noonkester) been a huge weapon, and at times we haven’t had the same success.
And so being more consistent in that area. Looking at our place kicker, Kanoah (Vinesett), from 40-and-in 100%, knock on wood. We’ve had him try some longer kicks and haven’t had success there.
It’s an area that he can improve. One of them’s not on him. He kicked a 52-yarder into the wind because it was fourth and 20.
Normally I’d have gone for it there. But I like what he’s doing. It’s interesting when you see it because, like, even our punt return team, we’ve been in safe punt almost a third of the time.
And if you can get your punt block team on the field, you got a chance for returns. You got a chance to rush punts. And we’ve just had a lot more fourth and medium to shorts where you’re worried about fakes from the other team.
So that’s an area that we’re really looking at, how we can gain an edge in the special teams part of the game because, as you know, that’s been a big factor for us over the years, being able to win games with that third of the game. And really the focus is individuals that have a lot of reps and how we can help them take another step. There’s little things in each position.
And you look at the offense, and you start always up front. What can we be better at at each position? Left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle, tight end, and finding one little thing in each guy’s game. We call it a ‘one more’ here.
But the thing that they need to put either put on film or take off of film between the bye week and the next game, I really believe in that aggregate improvement, across the board, and you look at each player. If somebody has a follow-up to that, I’m happy to continue.
I know that this probably must be the billionth time you’ve had to talk about it or think about it, but does Grayson’s decision to retire from football make you rethink concussions and football players and how they deal with safety and how the league deals with safety? And the second question is, have you had any kind of conversation with Grayson about his path to becoming a coach, whether he’s sought you out for advice on where to start or if he has a place on this NC State team and now or in the future as a coach?
Yeah. Part one of your question, we take their safety very, very seriously. Any time there’s any type of brain injury, concussion, they go through a rigorous protocol.
And sometimes it’s second and third opinion. Sometimes it’s even going to the NFL to get advice. Our staff does a tremendous job medically downstairs, Justin Smith and our team of docs.
Those aren’t decisions coaches make. They’re not. And as far as him as a coach, yeah, absolutely.
I told him, ‘If this is the path you want to be on, we’re all in helping you.’ And, obviously, he’s got our staff. He’s got Coach Beck’s staff.
He’s got Coach Chadwell’s staff. He knows a lot of coaches, and so he’s going to have opportunities in this profession if this is what he wants. And I think right now he’s just kind of feeling things out.
I don’t think it’s good for anybody to make rush judgments when they don’t need to. He’s got time, and he’s just enjoying being around the team right now. He’s still a captain.
He’s still leading. He’s helping CJ and Lex in meetings at practice today. He was fantastic.
He’s out there giving them advice, talking about what he sees, and he loves the game of football. He loves the brotherhood of football, and he’s going to be really good, if that’s the path. It could be high school.
It could be college. Who knows which direction he takes it, but I don’t think there’s a rush to that. I mean, the guy just made an announcement.
He’s not playing anymore. He can give himelf some time to decide his future.
In terms of the safety, I meant more so about your opinion on should players wear guardian caps or maybe some kind of extra. Football is a naturally violent sport, but there’s really no way around it when you’re a player and you’re getting hit over and over again. So have you had any extra thoughts about that now that Grayson’s gone through this?
Well, in his case, it wouldn’t have mattered. The helmet came off.
I think those are things that need to be discussed in the offseason. Again, there’s a lot of medical people that look at the safety not just in the NFL but the college level, and as coaches, we’re going to do what they recommend. And we wear them in practice every day.
If they think that’s the best foot forward in college football, then, yeah, I would be 100 percent behind it. But, again, I’m not going to make medical decisions based off statistics that I don’t have my hands on. And if that’s the direction people want to take it, you’re going to have full support from NC State.
You just played Cal. You’re playing Stanford this week, obviously. And then I know Duke just played SMU, so you’re scouting them, I probably would imagine, as well. So having seen the three teams, I was just wondering if you have an opinion as to what type of value they’re bringing to the ACC and the competitive level.
I watched the Duke-SMU game live. That was a crazy game, all the turnovers. And SMU certainly is having a good season. You can see their value, the way they’re playing, and very explosive on offense.
We just played Cal, and like I said, they have the number-one defense in our league right now, statistically. And so 17.1 points a game, I think, is what I saw today. It’s pretty impressive.
And I’ll have a better feel for you on Stanford after we play them, but all three teams are good football teams. They’re well-coached, have a lot of respect for their coaches being around them. They’re first-class guys.
They’re very professional guys. They know the league, and they’ve been around the sport. I’ve known two of them longer.
Troy’s the one I’ve probably known the least amount of time who we’re playing this week, but they’re good coaches, great programs, good schools. I got to tell you, playing at Cal, getting there is one thing, but being there, it’s a cool stadium. It’s cool to be in that environment, and our players really enjoyed being in the Bay and seeing all that, and it’s a life experience for them, so I don’t see anything but positives that way.
I was wondering if you had any updates on Devan Boykin, what his timetable for return is.
Not yet.
No, I mean, his recovery’s going really well, and when he’s ready to play, we’ll have him out there. But, again, we’re not going to rush him, and, yeah, everything’s been good. Downstairs, he’s working hard, and he’s done a great job doing everything they’ve asked.
How would you assess the run game to this point, through the first eight games? Seems like it’s been up and down. What is your point of view on that after watching it through in the bye week?
It’s interesting when you look at it. We have three backs averaging over four yards of carry, but when you look at our total run game numbers, they’re not good because of the negative yards plays we’ve had with sacks and TFLs, and so, it’s inconsistent.
It’s not where we want it to be yet, but it’s not a failure either, and I think you also get behind in a couple games where you stop running the football, and so we need to be better there. I’ll also tell you that some of the throws that we’re making are on-run plays, and so that’s a little bit misleading, too, when you’re in an RPO system like we are at times. There are handoffs to be made, and the coverage is telling us to throw it, and we’re throwing it for completions, and so sometimes it looks like you’re more pass-heavy offense than you are because the actual play call is a run with a pass, and it can go the opposite really quick if you’re defended in a different way, so, we’ll see how it goes.
You guys all know that I like the physicality of football. I do enjoy being able to be balanced and run the ball, and we’re not there right now. We’re not, and it’s something we need to get better at.
Quickly follow up on Grayson, you’ve talked about he’d make a great coach if that’s the road he wants to go. What kind of traits did he have as a leader and as a teacher that would make him a good coach if that’s the road he wants to go down?
Well, he’s a confident guy. He’s very humble as well.
He has a lot of humility. I think he has a lot of perspective. He was, you guys know his story, but, really coming out of high school, wasn’t very heavily recruited and overlooked and kind of a self-made guy.
Very decorated and plays the game hard, plays really hard, prepares really hard. He really respects the game, and when I say respects, I’m not just talking about the game itself, but what goes in behind the game, and how hard you have to work, and the way that the meeting should be, the preparation you should have at his position, the routine you need to have to prepare to win, the way that guys should practice around you, and how that irritated him. When a guy wasn’t going full speed and he wanted him full speed, and he would talk to him about that, there’s just a level of standard of play which coaches look for, too, and that’s where you could just see him as a player.
You’re like, ‘This guy’s going to be a good coach if that’s what he wants,’ and I really appreciate how he treats people, too. I mean, you can just see him having interactions with guys, coaches from both sides of the ball, players from both sides of the ball, and if you walk into the team meeting room, he’s always one of the first people there, always, and he’s just an impressive young man. He’s one of those guys that you just really pull for. I’m super excited about what’s next for him.
I mean, I think he’s going to be elite.
I saw you guys have a series coming up with Kansas State, and I wondered about your scheduling philosophy, especially in the college football playoff era. I know the ACC doesn’t want you playing at group of five schools. How difficult is it to sort of come up with a schedule that’s good enough, but also gets you where you want to go?
Yeah, I mean, scheduling is interesting because these games are scheduled so far out, sometimes seven or eight years out even, and I don’t know how you can do it right anymore because these conferences keep changing, and you sit there and you schedule a game and you wonder is that league now going to force them to play more league games, and now we’ve had some teams cancel on us in the SEC because they’re potentially having to play more league games.
I like having a competitive schedule. I also like having some games where I know I can get more players in the game and develop some youth and get some game experience for some guys, and when you look at some of the teams that are ranked right now and you have some teams that are six and seven wins and some of their strengths schedules aren’t very good, and then we played a really challenging schedule, as you know, early in the year. I think there’s value to being undefeated.
I think there’s also value, like Clemson opened with Georgia, and that’s a tough opener, but it sure has got them ready for the rest of the season. They’re playing really good football right now. So, I think you got to be smart about it.
You don’t want to put too much too soon because you do need to play your roster early in the year. I think that’s really important to get some of your backups, meaningful reps, but you don’t want it to be a cakewalk either. You want to be tested and you want to play against some good players so you’re ready for those higher-up conference games.
NC State Football
NC State vs. Stanford: Odds, Spread, Total, Analysis
Published
3 days agoon
October 28, 2024NC State (4-4) is currently a 9.5-point favorite in their upcoming game against Stanford (2-6) this Saturday. The Total is sitting at 46.5. The Moneyline for NC State is -380. The Moneyline for Stanford is +290.
- NC State is 1-7 Against the Spread in 2024.
- Stanford is 2-5-1 Against the Spread in 2024.
- The Total has gone Over in 5 of the Wolfpack’s 8 games.
- The Total has gone Under in 6 of the Cardinals’ 8 games.
- NC State is 0-5 Against the Spread at Home this year.
- Stanford is 1-2 Against the Spread Away this year.
- NC State is 5-0 Against the Spread in their last 5 games in the month of November.
- Stanford is 1-18 Against the Spread in their last 19 games in the month of November.
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